After The Fire
by klutzysunshine
Summary: Spoilers and speculation for the season finale, "Ring of Fire". After the latest disaster strikes the hospital, Nathan and a pregnant Meredith head home and try to figure out their next step.


**I don't own Grey's Anatomy nor will I ever. No copyright infringement intended.**

* * *

Feeling lucky they survived another disaster that had befallen Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, Meredith and Nathan headed back to her house to relax. She was thankful the kids were already in bed for the night and wouldn't see them like this. "You sure you're alright?" Nathan checked.

She rolled her eyes. "You're going to be annoying as fuck this whole pregnancy, aren't you?" she asked rhetorically.

He glared at her. "We just escaped a fire at the hospital. Excuse me for worrying about you in general. Be serious, Meredith," he pleaded.

Meredith softened. "I'm fine. I'm going to go in for an ultrasound in the morning, and if it makes you feel any better, I didn't feel like this when I miscarried before. This baby is safe and healthy," she assured him.

"You seem pretty laid-back," he observed, wrapping an arm around her.

She shrugged. "Eh, you survive enough disasters at Seattle Grace Mercy Death and eventually, they stop being so traumatizing."

He did a double take. "Seattle Grace Mercy Death?"

Meredith laughed at his confusion. "It's a name we came up with after the shooting and then the plane crash. It kinda stuck as the unofficial name of the hospital."

Nathan could only sigh. "Of course it has. Nothing surprises me about you anymore."

"Except this baby."

"Except this baby." He leaned over and kissed her then placed a hand on her stomach. "I can't wait to meet you, little one," Nathan whispered.

Guilt struck Meredith at that moment for being happy about this news, thrilled that she had someone there for her when she had had no one during her pregnancy with Ellis (admittedly, most of it was her fault since she ran but she still wished Derek had been there by her side). "Yup, you're going to be annoying as fuck this whole pregnancy," she teased.

"Shut up!" he playfully shot back.

The two of them stopped by another hospital the next morning for an ultrasound. "Nathan's worried about the baby, and I just want to make sure everything's okay too," Meredith told the doctor, an acquaintance of hers.

She smiled. "Nothing wrong with that. I wish you had come in last night but understand why you waited. Now let's check on this baby." She started up the ultrasound and squirted gel on Meredith's stomach. She set the wand down and started moving it around. "There's your baby. Now let's check on the heartbeat." Sure enough, the thumping started echoing around the room.

"Holy shit," Nathan choked out as he laid eyes on his child (he was having a baby!) for the first time.

The doctor bit her lip and cocked her head before smiling as she moved the wand around. "And that right there is Baby B." Even more thumping. "Congratulations, it's twins."

Both Meredith and Nathan froze. "Twins?" he squeaked.

She would have laughed if she wasn't in shock herself. "Twins. Of course this would happen to me. Whatever happened to me having a hostile uterus, anyway? I was never supposed to get pregnant but here we are, three pregnancies later and now there's two babies taking up residence in my womb this time."

The doctor laughed. "You know how these things work, Meredith. You're a doctor too." She printed out a picture and handed it over to them. "Make an appointment with your OB/GYN and get in as soon as possible. You should be monitored closely."

The two of them could only nod. Meredith thanked her and then they left the hospital. "I'm going to have five kids. Five! Thank God we have Maggie and Amelia and the others," she told Nathan.

"Yeah," he said distantly, still struggling to process the bomb that been dropped on him. Still excited, Nathan didn't know how to handle the news that that he was about to be a father of two babies.

She stopped and faced him. "Are you sure you're handling this?" Meredith prodded.

He nodded and then flashed her a smile. "Sorry, still in shock. But hey, I'm having two babies with the woman I love. What's more amazing than that?"

Her eyes widened. "You love me?"

"Of course I do. I understand if you're not there yet and you don't have to say it back but I figured you deserved to know."

Meredith surged forward and kissed him. "It's very nice to hear, and no, I'm not ready yet. But I like you very much, Nathan Riggs, and we're going to be parents together. Get used to it."

* * *

They prepared for parenthood as well as they could (nobody could be completely prepared, although this was old hat for Meredith now) and not surprisingly, Alex and Arizona were the first ones to figure it out because her boobs were bigger (she still enjoyed dropping the twins bombshell on them, though. The looks on their faces were absolutely worth it). Nathan moved in and didn't even mind that he was surrounded by women (he and Bailey bonded over it, which was nice).

"Why won't you tell us the babies' names?" Zola whined one day, a few weeks before Meredith's due date.

"Because we want there to be some surprises in life, Zo Zo," Meredith answered as she struggled to maneuver around the kitchen. God, she couldn't wait until these babies were out of here so she could actually see her feet again.

Unconvinced, Zola only stared at her mother. "Do you have names yet, Mommy?"

Nathan snorted. "Good one, Zola."

"Yes, we do. Now please grab a glass for me?" Meredith just wanted to go to sleep. That wasn't too much to ask for, wasn't it?"

"I hope I get a brother," Bailey murmured.

Nathan and Meredith exchanged knowing glances. "We hope so, buddy." They didn't want to break his heart and tell him they were having two girls until they were actually here. Nathan thought it was going to backfire but he didn't want to upset his girlfriend.

"I'm excited about babies," Ellis solemnly informed them as she continued to scribble in her coloring book.

"We are too, baby girl." Meredith dropped a kiss on the top of her head and then went to sit down.

A week later, she went in for a c-section with Nathan by her side. Maggie and Amelia kept an eye on her very impatient kids for them but both were too excited to function themselves. Fortunately for everybody involved, both newborns were born completely healthy and pissed at the world. "I'm a dad," Nathan whispered in disbelief as he started rocking the oldest twin back and forth.

"Yeah, you are. How's it feel?" a tired Meredith pressed.

"Really fucking amazing and terrifying," he answered truthfully.

Their family filed in and waited expectantly for names. "Come on already! You've made us wait long enough!" Maggie snapped.

"Yeah, what gives?" Amelia whined. Her curiosity was killing her.

A pouting Bailey crossed his arms. "I wanted a brother!"

"Sorry, kid. I'll try better next time?" Nathan tried.

"Somebody hit him for me," Meredith ordered and she giggled when Amelia complied. "There's not going to be a next time, Nathan Riggs. This shop is closed for good."

"But no seriously, what are the names?"

"Fine. I'm holding Margaret Dinah Riggs. We're going to call her by her middle name," Meredith explained, her gaze never leaving Maggie's.

Maggie gasped. "You named her after me?"

"Of course. You're my sister and I love you."

"Can I hold her?" With tears in her eyes, she picked up her new niece and beamed at her. "It's nice to meet you, Margaret Dinah. We got to stick together, okay? I'll teach you anything you want to know."

"And Dinah would like you to meet her sister, Julie Amelia," chimed in Nathan.

This time it was Amelia's turn to tear up. "Really?" she questioned, her voice cracking.

"Really," confirmed Meredith. "You two are important to me, and you've helped me out so much with the kids. This is my way of thanking you. Plus, Ellis' middle name is Alexandra and all three of my sisters deserve namesakes." She still wished she had a relationship with Molly but it just wasn't possible.

"Thank you. Miss Julie Amelia is not going to be disappointed," Amelia vowed. She wasn't related to the twins by blood but she loved them anyway, and they were going to know her as their aunt.

Zola sighed. "Are they going to keep us up all night again?"

She winced. "Sorry, Zo."

Ellis leaned over Nathan and smiled at her sister. "I liked them," she whispered.

"I'm glad," he answered back with a grin on his face.

"Still want a brother but I'll play with them," a still pouting pouting Bailey conceded.

"Good to know, kiddo." Meredith couldn't wait to be home with her family (all of them!) and get used to this new normal.

At least they could relax (as much as they could with twins in the house, anyway) before Seattle Grace Mercy Death struck again in some other traumatizing fashion. But for now, Meredith and Nathan were going to enjoy their children and being in love.


End file.
